President Barack Obama signed the
2012 National Defense Authorization Act today, while acknowledging
“serious reservations” about parts of the act, particularly provisions
that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected
terrorists.

“I have signed the act chiefly because it authorizes funding for the
defense of the United States and its interests abroad, crucial services
for service members and their families and vital national security
programs that must be renewed,” Obama said.

The $662 billion act also contains critical initiatives to control
spiraling health-care costs within the Defense Department, develop
counterterrorism initiatives abroad, build the security capacity of key
partners, modernize the force and boost the efficiency and effectiveness
of military operations worldwide, he noted.

It increases active-duty and reserve pay by 1.6 percent and governs
Defense Department activities from procurement to military personnel
policy.

However, “the fact that I support this bill as a whole does not mean I
agree with everything in it,” the president emphasized today.

Of particular concern are provisions he said restrict options available
to counterterrorism professionals and interfere with operations that
have kept the United States safe.

Obama said the act undermines efforts within the last several years to
develop an effective and sustainable framework to deal with suspected
terrorists. This framework, he said, “allows us to maximize both our
ability to collect intelligence and to incapacitate dangerous
individuals in rapidly developing situations.”

“The
results achieved are undeniable,” the president said. “Our success
against al-Qaida and its affiliates and adherents has derived in
significant measure from providing our counterterrorism professionals
with the clarity and flexibility they need to adapt to changing
circumstances and to utilize whichever authorities best protect the
American people.”

Obama said he opposes initiatives by some in Congress that could
undermine these successes. Although he initially had threatened to veto
the bill over language he said could hamper ongoing efforts, he later
agreed to changes that were negotiated.

“Ultimately, I decided to sign this bill not only because of the
critically important services it provides for our forces and their
families and the national security programs it authorizes, but also
because the Congress revised provisions that otherwise would have
jeopardized the safety, security, and liberty of the American people,”
he said.

Moving forward, Obama said his administration will interpret the
provisions in a way “that best preserves the flexibility on which our
safety depends and upholds the values on which is country was founded.”